Showing titles in Ecclesiology

Is God a Distant, Unchangeable Force? Or is He Actively Engaged with Your Life? Imagine a God who isn’t just watching from afar, but one who actively responds to your choices and actions. Open Theism for Beginners: Exploring a God Who Responds and Relates introduces you to a transformative view of God—one who is relational, dynamic, and deeply involved in the world and in your life. God Who Responds to You: In traditional views, God is seen as a distant, unchanging figure, but Open Theism reveals a God who is actively involved in your daily journey. Whether in moments of joy or ...

The Multipynaz series of books are designed to help fuel the movement of God through the people of God. This first book was written with a team of 60+ Nazarene leaders participating. It celebrates how God is increasing the Nazarene commitment to multiply, the foundations for how the movement has grown to over 30,000 churches globally, the main message of holy love, the focus on “outsiders”, why Nazarenes practice interdependence, steps to building a contagious church culture and more.

What do we call each other? It’s a deceptively simple question, because how we refer to one another is how we understand our relationships. Not recognizing the power of our words makes it harder for us to trust and serve one another―to love one another. In More than Christians, Norman Hubbard explores how the early church used common words in uncommon ways to make sense of their relationships with God and with one another. His research and contextualization of the cultural background to the New Testament is as practical for today as it is urgent.

Maybe you have been there: you’re running late to church, and you know it will be hard to find an empty seat. This is an all-too-frequent experience in a growing church. For churches experiencing this dilemma, a common solution is to add another service or location. This seems like a cost-effective fix. Besides, no one wants to turn away non-Christians. But is it the best option? Jonathan Leeman presents a series of biblical, theological, and pastoral arguments to help reorient our minds to a scriptural definition of church.

Why is the city a battleground of hostile principalities and powers? What is the mission of the church in the city? How can the church be supported in accomplishing that mission? These are the questions that Robert Linthicum treats in his comprehensive and probing biblical theology of the city. In the Bible the city is depicted both as a dwelling place of God and his people and as a center of power for Satan and his minions. The city is one primary stage on which the drama of salvation is played out.

Sustainable Church is a thorough Bible-based exposition of how the ministry of every church should be organically built around all of the Spirit-gifted followers of Jesus within that local body. It critiques the shallow pragmatism and unsustainability of nonorganic churches and biblically showcases the sustainability of the organic church.

This vision of and invitation to the work of global missions challenges Christians everywhere to cultivate a holy ambition to preach Christ where he has not yet been named.

The Centrality of the Church is the latest book in Kingdom Pastor's Library, a new series of books that brings you a succinct, complete pastoral philosophy and training from Tony Evans.

There's got to be more to church than this. People around the world are seeking a community that focuses more on others than on themselves. Yet most don't know where to start. Drawing from his own journey, Brandon Hatmaker reminds us that serving the least is not a trendy act of benevolence but a lifestyle of authentic community and spiritual transformation. In Barefoot Church, Brandon offers practical ideas for creating service-based, missional communities and explains how the organizational structure of a church can be created or restructured for mission in any context.

God called. He wants his church back. Many Christians have begun to recognize that God desires his church to function as an organism rather than an organization. After over 11 years of experience founding and facilitating a house church, author Keith Giles shares the insights he developed in the trenches. Filled with practical, real-world examples of how to plant and nurture an organic gathering, listeners will find a wealth of information to help them bring Jesus back to the forefront of every meeting.

Neither "everything's fine" nor "burn it all down", Stringer offers a thoughtful appreciation of evangelicalism's history, identity, and strengths, but also lament for its blind spots, toxic brokenness, and complicity with injustice. From this complicated space, we can move forward with informed vision rather than resignation and with hope for our future together.

A pastor is called to be a shepherd of God’s people in the local church. The gift of a godly pastor cannot be overemphasized — but the task of finding a faithful pastor is daunting. In this audiobook, seasoned pastor Mark Dever offers clear, biblical insight to churches in search of new leadership by providing six characteristics to look for in a new pastor, along with 11 suggestions of strategies to implement during the search process.

What if everything you believe about God, salvation, heaven, hell, sin, and Scripture was built on assumptions—and you didn’t even know it? The truth is, millions of Christians live out their faith with a fragmented understanding of the Bible. But God never meant for His Word to be confusing or compartmentalized. You were created to know truth deeply, believe rightly, and live boldly. *Systematic Theology* is the key that unlocks clarity in the chaos. Whether you're a pastor, seminary student, Bible teacher, or curious believer, chances are you've wrestled with complex questions: What ...

Ever since Jesus' commission to make disciples in his name, Christianity has transformed lives and the world at large. To those watching, it must have looked like an upstart religion led by a group of men, most of whom were martyred for their beliefs. The voice of secular culture today is no louder and no more indulgent than it was in those days. And yet much of the Western church has settled for becoming just another mass media market that's adding to the noise, instead of a movement that continues to turn the world upside down.

Why do three Gospels tell the same story—yet speak with such distinct voices? For centuries, scholars, pastors, and Bible readers alike have wrestled with the mystery of the Synoptic Gospels. How can Matthew, Mark, and Luke echo each other so closely and yet diverge so profoundly in theology, style, and emphasis? This book confronts that enigma with academic rigor and spiritual depth—offering a guide not just to understanding the Gospels, but to seeing the life of Jesus through three inspired lenses. Behind the familiar verses lies a complex literary and theological tapestry. In The ...

Every believer has a dinner reservation at the Wedding Banquet of the Lamb. Did you know that Jesus also has dinner plans for you this coming Lord’s Day? The Lord’s Supper was originally celebrated every week, as an actual meal. This fellowship in the breaking of bread is the ideal setting for building the close relationships that form a basis for personalized disciple making. It also creates supernatural unity, fantastic fellowship, and personal holiness in view of His return. Has the Lord’s supper, in your church, become a lost supper? The bread and cup look back to Jesus’ death ...

When a team of Navy SEALs with "unique abilities" is ambushed on a clandestine mission to stop a human trafficking ring, the hunt for their killer is on...no matter how long it takes. As they narrow in on the corrupt corporation that still wants what they have, they must ascend through the ranks of the UFC Fighting Octagon to get close enough to strike. But as they do, what becomes abundantly clear is that this war goes beyond our world, and the soldiers in it represent a far greater battlefield than man was meant to know.

In Deep Church, Belcher brings the best insights of all sides to forge a third way between emerging and traditional. In a fair and evenhanded way, Belcher explores the proposals of such emerging church leaders as Tony Jones, Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt. He offers measured appreciation and affirmation as well as balanced critique.

In this book we will review the changes that may be taking place on planet earth; particularly as we head towards a period the bible calls 'End Times.' This book will not attempt to make wild outlandish prophecies that cannot be backed up with scripture or empirical evidence. However, it will provide a potential forecast about what could happen in the last days of time; leaving people with some form of barometer to prepare them for the future. This book does not intend to be dogmatic about end time events, simply because different commentators have different views about what might happen ...

This is a must-read for pastors and lay leaders involved in, or wanting to learn about, the church multiplication groundswell in North America. It shows how multiplying churches should be a natural, regular function in the DNA of every church. Learn the principles from master multiplier Bob Roberts. Here is powerful hope for the church in America.